When to plant in Amherst, VA
Planting dates worked out from Amherst's own frost records, not a generic zone chart.
Safe to plant out
May 3
1 year in 10 has a later frost
Average last frost
Apr 18
about a 50% chance of a later one
Average first fall frost
Oct 21
1 year in 10 by Oct 6
Frost-free days
183
median, 1991–2020
Station used: Tye Rvr 1 Se · 11.8 km away · station 220 m, town 232 m. How we match towns to stations
This season
Plan your garden.
Planting dates for common crops
| Crop | Start indoors | Plant out or sow | Harvest from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tomato | Mar 8 – Mar 22 | May 3 – May 17 | Jun 27 |
| Sweet pepper | Feb 22 – Mar 8 | May 3 – May 17 | Jul 2 |
| Lettuce (leaf) | Feb 14 – Feb 21 | Mar 21 – Apr 4 | Apr 30 |
| Peas | — | Mar 7 – Apr 4 | May 1 |
| Bush beans | — | Apr 26 – May 17 | Jun 15 |
| Carrot | — | Mar 28 – May 9 | May 27 |
| Beet | — | Mar 21 – May 2 | May 10 |
| Potato | — | Mar 28 – Apr 18 | Jun 6 |
| Kale | Feb 7 – Feb 21 | Mar 21 – Apr 4 | May 3 |
| Broccoli | Feb 7 – Feb 21 | Mar 21 – Apr 11 | May 20 |
| Cucumber | Apr 5 – Apr 12 | May 3 – May 17 | Jun 22 |
| Summer squash and zucchini | Apr 5 – Apr 12 | May 3 – May 17 | Jun 17 |
| Winter squash | Apr 5 – Apr 12 | May 3 – May 17 | Jul 22 |
| Sweet corn | — | Apr 26 – May 17 | Jun 25 |
| Onion (from sets) | — | Mar 21 – Apr 11 | Jun 19 |
| Garlic | — | Oct 7 – Nov 4 (fall) | following summer |
| Spinach | — | Mar 7 – Apr 4 | Apr 14 |
| Basil | Mar 22 – Apr 5 | May 3 – May 17 | Jun 29 |
Amherst's weather over time
How the growing season has shifted here, year by year, from the station's own records.
Each year's last spring frostLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Last spring frost |
|---|---|
| 1964 | Apr 5 |
| 1965 | Apr 5 |
| 1966 | May 11 |
| 1967 | Apr 29 |
| 1968 | May 7 |
| 1969 | Mar 31 |
| 1970 | May 7 |
| 1972 | Apr 10 |
| 1973 | Apr 14 |
| 1974 | Apr 12 |
| 1975 | Apr 13 |
| 1976 | Apr 28 |
| 1977 | Apr 11 |
| 1978 | Apr 23 |
| 1979 | Apr 8 |
| 1980 | Apr 18 |
| 1981 | Apr 16 |
| 1982 | Apr 24 |
| 1983 | Apr 22 |
| 1984 | Apr 12 |
| 1985 | Apr 11 |
| 1986 | Mar 26 |
| 1987 | Apr 6 |
| 1988 | Apr 14 |
| 1989 | Apr 13 |
| 1990 | Apr 20 |
| 1991 | Apr 4 |
| 1992 | Apr 5 |
| 1993 | Apr 29 |
| 1994 | Apr 23 |
| 1995 | Apr 7 |
| 1996 | Apr 19 |
| 1997 | May 5 |
| 1998 | Apr 29 |
| 1999 | Apr 1 |
| 2000 | Apr 9 |
| 2001 | May 1 |
| 2002 | May 23 |
| 2003 | Apr 1 |
| 2004 | Mar 24 |
| 2005 | May 4 |
| 2006 | Apr 28 |
| 2007 | Apr 9 |
| 2008 | Apr 17 |
| 2009 | Apr 24 |
| 2010 | Apr 29 |
| 2011 | Apr 7 |
| 2012 | Apr 13 |
| 2014 | Apr 18 |
| 2015 | Apr 6 |
Each year's frost-free daysLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Frost-free days |
|---|---|
| 1964 | 185 |
| 1965 | 183 |
| 1966 | 162 |
| 1968 | 150 |
| 1969 | 205 |
| 1970 | 162 |
| 1972 | 182 |
| 1974 | 173 |
| 1975 | 200 |
| 1976 | 171 |
| 1977 | 214 |
| 1978 | 168 |
| 1979 | 189 |
| 1980 | 178 |
| 1981 | 180 |
| 1982 | 175 |
| 1983 | 155 |
| 1984 | 208 |
| 1985 | 211 |
| 1986 | 206 |
| 1987 | 185 |
| 1988 | 179 |
| 1989 | 178 |
| 1990 | 181 |
| 1991 | 186 |
| 1992 | 195 |
| 1993 | 154 |
| 1994 | 170 |
| 1995 | 193 |
| 1996 | 168 |
| 1997 | 175 |
| 1998 | 176 |
| 1999 | 206 |
| 2000 | 182 |
| 2001 | 159 |
| 2002 | 161 |
| 2003 | 184 |
| 2004 | 229 |
| 2005 | 175 |
| 2006 | 167 |
| 2007 | 202 |
| 2008 | 185 |
| 2009 | 177 |
| 2010 | 183 |
| 2011 | 205 |
| 2012 | 205 |
| 2014 | 203 |
Each year's average temperature, April to SeptemberLong-term trend
See the data as a table
| Year | Growing-season temperature |
|---|---|
| 1964 | 20.2 °C |
| 1965 | 20.5 °C |
| 1966 | 19.5 °C |
| 1968 | 19.8 °C |
| 1969 | 20.7 °C |
| 1970 | 21.2 °C |
| 1971 | 20.6 °C |
| 1972 | 20.0 °C |
| 1973 | 20.5 °C |
| 1974 | 19.6 °C |
| 1975 | 20.1 °C |
| 1976 | 19.8 °C |
| 1977 | 21.2 °C |
| 1978 | 20.6 °C |
| 1979 | 19.8 °C |
| 1980 | 21.1 °C |
| 1981 | 20.2 °C |
| 1982 | 19.8 °C |
| 1983 | 20.4 °C |
| 1984 | 19.3 °C |
| 1985 | 20.2 °C |
| 1986 | 20.8 °C |
| 1987 | 21.3 °C |
| 1988 | 20.6 °C |
| 1989 | 19.8 °C |
| 1990 | 19.8 °C |
| 1991 | 21.1 °C |
| 1992 | 19.0 °C |
| 1993 | 20.8 °C |
| 1994 | 20.1 °C |
| 1995 | 20.1 °C |
| 1996 | 19.9 °C |
| 1997 | 19.1 °C |
| 1998 | 20.4 °C |
| 1999 | 20.4 °C |
| 2000 | 19.9 °C |
| 2001 | 20.1 °C |
| 2002 | 21.3 °C |
| 2003 | 19.8 °C |
| 2004 | 20.6 °C |
| 2005 | 20.8 °C |
| 2006 | 20.6 °C |
| 2007 | 20.9 °C |
| 2008 | 20.2 °C |
| 2009 | 19.9 °C |
| 2010 | 21.8 °C |
| 2011 | 21.2 °C |
| 2012 | 20.8 °C |
| 2014 | 20.1 °C |
| 2015 | 20.8 °C |
What this means for you: Since 1964, Amherst's last spring frost has stayed at about the same time of year. The frost-free season has grown by about 2 days per decade. Year-to-year swings are large, so keep using the safe date rather than the trend.
Source: daily records from Tye Rvr 1 Se (NOAA GHCN-Daily). Years with too many missing days are left out.